The schedule for the first year at Hogwarts is quite relaxed. For example, on this Monday, Vid only had two consecutive periods of Magic Potion Class in the morning.
After breakfast, a group of Ravenclaw freshmen headed towards the underground classroom together. As the environment gradually became colder and gloomier, the students' faces also started to look a bit pale.
"I've heard that Professor Snape, who teaches Magic Potion, is the head of Slytherin College." Michael, walking next to Vid, started a conversation to alleviate the tense atmosphere: "Did you notice during the sorting ceremony last night? It's that black-haired, hook-nosed professor."
"Of course," Padma said. "I must say, we better not provoke him."
The group arrived in silence at the Potions Classroom, where rows of glass jars filled with various animal specimens lined the shelves by the wall. Some timid children seemed on the verge of tears, nervously sitting as far away from the specimens as possible. Vid chose a position in the corner—he wasn't afraid of the dead specimens, but worried about being implicated by a classmate's mishap.
Not long after, the Hufflepuff students arrived in groups as well, and their reactions were similar to the Ravenclaw freshmen. However, since Ravenclaw had arrived first, they had occupied the advantageous seats, forcing the Hufflepuff students to disperse to the periphery.
The previously empty corner near Vid now had two more Hufflepuff students joining.
"Hello, I'm Theo, Theo Mancini. And this is Leian Caro," said a brown-haired Hufflepuff boy, initiating the greeting with Vid: "And you are—?"
"Vid Gray."
"Vid?" Theo Mancini asked curiously, "Do you know about our professor for this class—"
The blond boy named Leian suddenly said, "Theo, stop talking." He added, "Professor is here."
As soon as the words were out, the classroom door was pushed open with a bang, and a man in a black wizard's robe strode in. His expression was cold and imposing, making many students instinctively shrink their necks, turning the classroom dead silent.
Professor Snape glanced around the classroom, pulled out the roster, and began roll call. Seeing that no one was late for the first class, his expression finally softened a little.
"Magic Potion is a very precise subject," Snape said in a voice as low as a whisper, "requiring strict procedures and exact measurements. If anyone alters the potion recipe, or randomly changes the ingredient proportions, or foolishly waves their magic wand trying to cover their mistakes—"
His cold gaze swept over the terrified freshmen, lingering especially on the Hufflepuff students with yellow and black striped ties—
"I will make them deeply understand the terrifying consequences of a wrong potion."
Theo gulped nervously, feeling as if Snape's words were directed at him. Vid suddenly felt uneasy—he had chosen a corner seat to avoid disturbances, but it seemed there was a ticking time bomb next to him.
Like having a radar in his head, Snape immediately detected a certain badger's unease, and without looking at the roster, he said, "Theo Mancini!"
"Yes!" Theo hurriedly stood up, almost knocking over his cauldron: "Yes, Professor."
"How should the slug be handled in brewing Scabies Potion?" Snape asked.
In the classroom, seven or eight arms shot up, most of them belonging to Ravenclaw students.
The good news—Snape didn't specifically pick on students, as the question he asked was right from the first chapter of the textbook.
The bad news—Theo hadn't previewed the textbook in advance.
The boy stammered, "I—I don't know, sir."
"Sit down!" Snape said icily. "Failure to preview the textbook beforehand, Hufflepuff minus one point. Vid Gray!"
He randomly picked on the Ravenclaw sitting next to him.
Vid immediately stood up: "Boil for five minutes, sir."
"Correct answer." Snape nodded, but didn't award any points to Ravenclaw, and posed another question right away: "Michael Corner, the role of nettles?"
"They can—they can treat inflammation, hair loss—and also stop bleeding," Michael stuttered.
"Not bad." Snape nodded, signaling him to sit down, then asked, "Hanna Aber? When should porcupine quills be added?"
The blond girl stood up tearfully, as if she'd burst into tears if Snape said one more word.
Snape shifted his gaze and called another name: "Leian Caro?"
Leian had already quickly flipped through his book at the start of the questioning, and the question was something specifically emphasized in the book.
"—After turning off the heat, professor," Leian said as calmly as possible.
Snape glanced down at his open book. "I hope you can store the knowledge in your head beforehand, instead of cramming during class, praying for Merlin's favor!"
Leian sat down, his lips still tightly pressed, and Theo patted his arm consolingly.
This class, Snape wasn't targeting any one person—he was targeting everyone. The barrage of questions served as a stern warning, and by the time the official lecture began, Hufflepuff had lost thirteen points, with Ravenclaw losing five.
In the ensuing silence, Snape began guiding the students through preparing the Scabies Potion. He grouped them into pairs based on their seating, then with a wave of his magic wand, detailed steps were listed on the blackboard, prompting everyone to hastily jot them down. Vid noticed that the steps on the blackboard had slight adjustments from those in the book, and following the book's instructions might not produce results satisfactory to this professor.
"Sorry." Theo, seated as Vid's partner, whispered, "I didn't preview the textbook in advance, but I'll try my best not to hold you back."
His amber eyes were very sincere, and Vid's initial frustration at being teamed with a "slacker" was eased.
"It's nothing," Vid said. "The preparation of the Scabies Potion is quite simple. As long as we follow the steps, there shouldn't be much of a problem."
Theo went to the shelf beside them to fetch the ingredients, while Vid weighed them on a scale and pushed the snake fang to Theo with a small knife. "You handle the ingredients, I'll take care of the brewing."
"Alright."
Theo responded, put on protective Dragon Skin Gloves, and began grinding the snake fang into powder in a mortar. Vid, meanwhile, disdainfully picked up four slugs with tweezers and placed them in the cauldron to steam, while cautiously controlling the heat with his magic wand.
A few minutes later, Vid extracted the now-colored slugs and set them aside, replacing the water and reheating it while reviewing the brewing steps again. Theo beside him had already processed the snake fang powder and was now slicing the dried nettles.
Vid was somewhat surprised to find that this Hufflepuff student, despite appearing a bit clumsy, was very meticulous. The processed powder was fine and uniform, without any coarse particles or impurities.
Perhaps this partner wasn't too bad after all.
Vid thought.